JTF ensuring boaters complying with Customs, Immigration laws
A joint task force comprised of police, Customs and Immigration officers successfully executed an operation to ensure yacht and boat operators in the Nanny Cay area were compliant with Customs and Immigration requirements early yesterday morning.
Customs Commissioner and head of the Joint Task Force, Wade Smith said in a radio interview on ZBVI that the operation saw officers boarding some yachts to make checks.
The task force went there “to ensure that boaters were compliant, to ensure that workers were compliant … having their Labour and Immigration clearance and ensuring that vessels are actually imported in the territory legally. There was a number of infractions and a number of visitors and boaters were happy to see Immigration there because they had several questions, they wanted answers too. They got assistance from the Immigration officers,” Smith said.
The Customs boss said several boat owners whose vessels are not compliant with the Virgin Islands customs laws will have to meet with Immigration officers to ensure they get everything in order. This will allow them to resume operation in the territory.
Smith also said the team received several calls after the operation. He said callers wanted to double-check the Immigration requirements they need to follow to operate and import boats in the territory and to ensure they were on the right side of the law.
Don’t make reckless social media posts about our operations
Smith also warned persons on social media to refrain from spinning narratives about the task force’s operation as it can be reckless and damaging. The head of the task force had used the interview to clarify why the joint task force was executing an operation early in the morning.
A post on social media site, Facebook, had implied that a criminal was on the loose in the territory.
Smith said the task force has done several operations since its inception in 2020 and the same ‘modus operandi’ used then was the same used in the execution of the exercise at Nanny Cay.
“During those previous exercises, I am not seeing any post on social media circulating or any discussion regarding that. But in regards to the location that the task force was this morning (yesterday), [there were] a number of articles on social media, and that is a bit concerning. Our number-one mission is to keep the BVI safe. That’s BVI Love — ensuring that our residents and visitors alike enjoy a safe community,” Smith said.
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Dawn raid with dogs and guns? Figuratively dragging them out of bed to show papers? Why could you not have sent lone officers to politely ask for the papers?
We are already vilified in the marine community for your exceptionally brutal treatment of boaters and you have to add to the stories of abuse on the cruiser nets? BVI Love is a joke. Yachtsman Friendly a distant memory.
Keep this up and you will be able to retire your boats as there won’t be any boats here to harass.
Adios BVI
I just cancelled my broker contract.
My crew was roused awake by the goon squad. What lack of professionalism you all displayed. The boat next to me had guests on board and I felt so sorry for them. They told me later they thought they were in a banana republic or African nation where rights and liberties are non existent.
My charters will now be in the USVI only.
That’s our Customs”mafia protection racketeers” at work. They missed the memo about “BVI Love”.
The same thing could have been done without dogs and machine guns.
Nobody was happy to see you harassing tourists right when our tourism industry is trying to recover. What a terrible spin on a terrible idea. BVILove is clearly false advertising.
So they were at Nanny Cay making sure the yacht renters and owners were compliant but they do nothing to make sure the go fast boats are compliant. The never ending saga of the racist Belonger. Please post this news on the BVI Tourism site. It’ll help promote tourism and visitors.
So very true.
I have seen them surround the Frett building in town but my guess is most are two scared to raise up and complain because they are on work permit and scared of retaliation. The difference was this one affected visiting tourists and woke people up with officers with guns and dogs. Just what you want when you are on vacation! Enforcement is good but the task could have been achieved in another way.
Also boaters are feeling picked on by customs with their new requirements that are somewhat onerous and sometimes in conflict with other department requirements.
“Somewhat onerous”? That’s being delicate.
Virgin Islands charter yachts (especially the St. Thomas-used ones) are vacating the territory. Sint Maarten and the Bahamas will be the only ones to benefit from BVI Customs foolish myopia.
SHAME!
I bet the tourists/guests loved being awaken by someone with a gun. Meanwhile drug runners walk around in freedom…
only in the Bvi
Waking visitors up at 6am with dogs and armed police. Thats BVI LOVE?
So there wasn’t a killer on the loose, but guns and dogs were needed?
I met Wade Smith once just after Irma…
BVI News, why didn’t you post my full comment re Wade Smith, there was no bad language just a revealing description of the true nature of the man!!!
This country becoming a joke. Heavy handed mob at dawn. Disgusting harassment.
There won’t be anyone left but some chickens. And maybe a donkey.
Just like the good old days not so long ago.
We should be so lucky.
Nice. But it is not going to work for everybody.
Scaring the bejesus out of people by storming their boats with dogs and guns is “BVI Love?” What a complete joke. These people will likely sail away and never come back here again after being treated like that, and take their money with them. I’ve noticed that the only time “BVI Love” gets trotted out these days is in relation to incidents that are the exact opposite.
You killing yourself BVI.
To bad
This is what happens when we stay silent while undesirable but harmless alcoholics are arrested with machine guns that are highly unsuited to busy areas.
Someone tell them to bring the holstered hand guns, tasers and leave the f-ing machine guns in the office.
playing Rambo while traumatizing people.
With everything that’s going on in the financial world clamp down on tax havens, you would think this government would realise how important tourism is going to be to these islands going forward. Obviously not!!
Once upon a time not so very long ago there was no tourism nor was the VI a tax haven.
But there was peace,contentment,neighborly interactions, and zero crime. No gofundme ,FSN or beggars.
BVIslsanders were just fine and will continue to be just fine if the interlopers find themselves needing to vacate and graze elsewhere.
If this is the goal then why not simply make it public? Kick out all the expats. Rescind all their trade licenses and restrict access to only Belongers. Maybe turn off the internet while you are at it so locals can live that peaceful quiet life in a tranquil self sustaining community with no bothersome outside influence. I’m sure it would be paradise.
@stu – that’s true, but then you had few cars and bad electricity and had to fish or work the land to survive. Your forebears were noble and proud. This generation, addicted to social media, looking good and getting paid to do nothing couldn’t hack it. Without expatriates doing the jobs you can’t or won’t do, you’d be left with nothing. That’s the real truth.
Those current locals who are “spoiled “have options. They are free to travel to go wherever for work for education for another lifestyle. Their travel to other countries are without the restrictions and suspicions common to to theirlookalikes.And why would electricity internet etc have to disappear,cars, whatever.. Don’t be silly…a big problem with some of allyo. You are not that important,vital except to yourself. Imported labour could continue to an extent, but the forever residence by the thousands ofc every Tom dick and harry and without restrictions is self destructive Many BVIslanders who have left and chose to remain gone,not even to pop in for August festivals, will be happy to return to a life without a preponderance of foreignors and the culture of violence introduced by their ungrateful and vile presence. The quality of life will again be top of the line for the people and for the environment.
Your outlook appears to be a tad juvenile.
Google Monaco and learn about that miniscule place,smaller than the VI ,its immigration policies which created wealth for it’s “indigeous”,a faultless infrastructure,free quality educational healthcare…research the Monaco model.
Sure..the good old days before the charter industry and financial services?
You’ll be looking for boats then, cuz you’ll be going over to the DR to cut sugar cane again so you can earn a little money to live on.
Was this a demonstration of power to show the drug dealers that they can defend themselves should there be a falling out?
Jail coming for some of these people once the secret sessions of the COI presents its evidence.
Doesn’t sound like a normal early morning check to me. There must have been a reason for the dogs and guns. I don’t know the full story, but there must be more in the mortar than the pestle. Just my take. Wade Smith and his team isn’t in the business of traumatizing anybody.
Wade Smith has been vi**imizing the marine tourism sector for years.
Yes, it is important for these departments to do their job to keep things in order and we appreciate their professionalism. However , this early morning RAID was nothing short of outrageous. Why the bully approach waking people up at first light with 15 officers, guns and dogs ? Surely a less terrifying approach would be more appropriate.
Under the guise of insuring the laws were adhered to, the Nazis used the same tactics to terrorize innocent people. What is next?
This is most disturbing, looks more like Germany in the 1930’s than the BVI today. Was this done with the full engagement of the Governor and Chief of Police, a lot questions need answering here.
Once upon a time not so very long ago there was no tourism nor was the VI a tax haven.
But there was peace,contentment,neighborly interactions, and zero crime. No gofundme ,FSN or beggars.
BVIslsanders were just fine and will continue to be just fine if the interlopers find themselves needing to vacate and graze elsewhere.
I await you he news headlines that this happens on every Cay and every Marina.
Somehow. I don’t think so. ………..
Isn’t the JTF simply doing its job? For those who are super critical, for all you know the JTF could have been acting on intelligence. Maybe we should be more supportive and less negative. Safety of all is paramount.
It was ‘routine’ according to customs. Not based on intelligence. Besides – the intelligence can’t be very good if you have to search hundreds of boats
I’ll agree with “not based on intelligence”. But then, HM Customs’ reputation outside the BVI and with yachtsmen is not exactly shiny and sterling.
HM Customs are single handedly destroying the local charter industry. Raising fees, making it almost impossible to comply with new regulations, oh and changing the rules every day. They’ll tell you one thing and something else the next. Just communicate with us! Instead of shutting us down.
Come to USVI. Friendlier, fewer fees, and no jack booted thugs coming on your boat with dogs and guns.
Unless you are belonger who is smuggling
Believe me if I could I would, I am local to BVI and my business is well established. If this government drives everybody out what are they going to be left with? No income and even more of a terrible reputation? Let’s hope this COI brings some good and gets these THUGS out of office
Another good day for our marine tourism. Since the Thurs. morning assault over a dozen charter yachts have fled the BVI and re-located here. Thanks JTF keep up the good work.
The go fast boats are coming in the East between 3 and 4 a.m. and this is where the task force should be staking out because they pass the highly paid badges and no reports are made. It is disgusting how these guys feel no way about waking people at those hours and then they go unnoticed by the task force.
number of visitors and boaters were happy to see Immigration there – At 5am with Guns and Dogs – no they were not
Omfg
Boaters get out
Well, this is why many boaters have decided to no go back and spend their money in the Territory. Beautiful place but this policies are absurd, not even in Cuba this goes down like this.
Nanny Cay is surely trying to spin this on a positive way. Cannot imagine this is good for business.
BVI is lucky that USVI cannot seem to get their act together as it relates to visiting yachts. If they did it would be game over for BVI.